Doorgang van het Somerset House te Londen, ter hoogte van de Waterloo Bridge 1888 - 1891

Editor: Here we have Willem Witsen’s drawing, “Doorgang van het Somerset House te Londen, ter hoogte van de Waterloo Bridge,” made with pencil and pen somewhere between 1888 and 1891. It's a fairly quick sketch, but the architecture still feels monumental. What stands out to you? Curator: It's precisely the speed and rawness of the sketch that commands my attention. Think about the materiality of urban life at the end of the 19th century. Witsen's quick strokes with pencil and pen were readily available modes of artistic production – cheap, portable, and easily disseminated. This bypasses academic restrictions, don't you think? Editor: I can see that. It does have an immediacy that a formal painting wouldn't. Curator: Exactly. And consider Somerset House itself, a structure built on colonial wealth and power, juxtaposed with the simple means of representation. Is Witsen complicit in glorifying imperial power, or is the sketch form a subtle critique by making it seem more…ordinary? What kind of audience do you imagine for it? Editor: Hmmm… Maybe it's democratizing the image of the building. Like it's available to anyone to see and copy. Curator: Yes, potentially contributing to a broader understanding and even reshaping the relationship between the public and these symbols of authority through its very production. Consider how the sketch medium allowed for a mass consumption and distribution of architectural images. What do you think it signifies about the relationship of the artist to their subject matter, and the society that they live in? Editor: That makes me think about the tradition of the sketch – quick impressions available for all rather than carefully mediated propaganda aimed at elites. Curator: Precisely. Editor: Thanks, that's really helpful! Curator: My pleasure. Thinking about the materiality really opens it up.